Doesn’t Every Child Deserve a

Memorable Summer?
To succeed in school and life, children and young adults need ongoing opportunities to learn and practice
essential skills. This is especially true during the summer months. Many Americans have a wonderful image of
summer as a carefree, happy time when “kids can be kids,” and take for granted the prospect of enriching
experiences such as summer camps, time with family, and trips to museums, parks, and libraries. Unfortunately,
some youth face anything but idyllic summer months. When the school doors close, many children struggle to
access educational opportunities, as well as basic needs such as healthy meals and adequate adult supervision.

Did you know? SPOTLIGHT ON RESULTS

• All young people experience learning losses when they do
not engage in educational activities during the summer.
Research spanning 100 years shows that students typically
score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer
vacation than they do on the same tests at the beginning
of the summer (White, 1906; Entwisle & Alexander, 1992;
Cooper et al., 1996; Downey et al., 2004).
• Most students lose about two months of grade level
equivalency in mathematical computation skills over the
summer months. Low-income students also lose more than
two months in reading achievement, despite the fact that
their middle-class peers make slight gains (Cooper et al., 1996).
Project Morry is a tuition-free summer
sleep-away camp and year-round program
in White Plains, New York, that focuses
on academic enrichment, recreation,
and youth development for children
from disadvantaged communities in
New York City. Since its inception in
1996, all of the Project Morry graduates
have completed high school, 80 percent
enroll in institutions of higher education, and 100 percent of the
students who enrolled in college have remained in college.

• About two-thirds of the ninth-grade achievement gap between
lower and higher income youth can be explained by unequal
access to summer learning opportunities during the elementary
school years. As a result, low-income youth are less likely to
graduate from high school or enter college (Alexander et al., 2007).
SuperKids Camp has served more than 10,000 Baltimore City children
since 1997. In addition to sailing in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and
visiting museums, elementary students in the six-week program
hone their reading skills. Evaluations reveal that over 80 percent
of participants maintain or improve their literacy skills.

• Children lose more than academic knowledge over the summer.
Most children—particularly children at high risk of obesity—
gain weight more rapidly when they are out of school during
summer break (von Hippel et al., 2007).
• Parents consistently cite summer as the most difficult time
to ensure that their children have productive things to do
(Duffett et al., 2004).
Summerbridge Pittsburgh, a two-summer, tuition-free program,
helps at-risk middle school students increase academic performance
while building confidence and life skills. Since 1994, Summerbridge
Pittsburgh has served more than 1,000 children and has a high
success rate: More than 90 percent of its participants graduate
from high school, and 80 percent have gone to college.

Numerous studies show that summer learning opportunities improve academic outcomes for youth.
The Promise of Early and sustained summer learning opportunities lead to higher graduation rates and better
preparation for college. Summer programs have also been shown to positively affect children’s
Summer self-esteem, confidence, and motivation.

Learning High-quality summer programs keep students engaged in learning, teach them new skills, and
encourage them to develop previously unseen talents. They allow children to form relationships
with caring adults, help them stay fit and active, and foster creativity and innovation.
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“It reignited my passion for learning”

While other kids in the neighborhood were hanging out all summer, Charity was learning
Spanish, French, and Shakespeare at Summerbridge Pittsburgh. Her teachers prompted her
for the first time to actually analyze subjects such as American history, not just recite
facts. The summer experience gave the previously shy Charity the confidence to speak up
in class—or raise her hand when she didn’t understand something— and before long
she was leading skits and classroom discussions. In short, she recalls, “It reignited my
passion for learning.”

And this story doesn’t end there. Charity became an outgoing leader in high school and
taught for two summers at a Summerbridge program. She has since graduated from
Harvard University and attends Harvard Medical School.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP

Our Mission Program providers should:
The National Center for Summer Learning’s mission is to create
• Get the word out and use the research. When reaching out to
opportunities for high-quality summer learning for all young
funders, decision-makers, partners, and the media, share the
people. Based at the Johns Hopkins University School of
research to demonstrate the need for and effectiveness of high-
Education, the Center is committed to expanding summer
quality summer learning opportunities.
learning opportunities for disadvantaged children and youth
as a strategy for closing the achievement gap and promoting • Enlist support from community partners. Host meetings to
healthy youth development. discuss how you can work together to support young people
in your community during the summer.
The Center works to:
Policymakers and funders should:
• Improve the quality and availability of summer programs by
providing professional development and evaluation services • Prioritize summer as a key component of out-of-school time funding.
to providers. • Provide funding for organizations that operate and support
high-quality summer programs.
The Center trains over 2,000 summer program providers
annually, reaching more than 2 million children each year. Business leaders should:

• Build awareness and support for high-quality summer learning • Invest in summer learning programs for children of employees,
programs through outreach and communications. and those living in the communities they serve.
• Provide summer internships and support programs designed to
Summer Learning Day and our annual national conference
equip young people with the skills they need to be competitive
are just two of the events organized by the Center to bring
in the global economy.
together program providers, researchers, and policymakers
from across the country. Parents should:

• Generate increased public investment in summer programs • Demand more options for, and better access to, high-quality
summer learning programs from local leaders.
for young people in high-poverty communities.
• Support legislation and elected officials that make summer
In 2007, the Center’s efforts helped generate more than $14 million learning programs a priority.
in public investment spent directly on summer programs for youth.
Through its national network of providers and partners, the Center
works to make summer learning a priority in communities across
the country. Using research-based approaches and models of effective
practice, the Center strives to ensure that all children have access
to high-quality learning opportunities during the summer months.

REFERENCES

Alexander, K., Entwisle,D., and Olson, L. (2007). Lasting consequences of the summer learning gap. American Sociological Review, 72, 167-180.
Cooper, H., Nye, B., Charlton, K., Lindsay, J., & Greathouse, S. (1996). The effects of summer vacation on achievement test scores: A narrative and meta-analytic
review. Review of Educational Research, 66, 227-268.
Downey, D, von Hippel, P., and Broh, B. (2004). Are schools the great equalizer? Cognitive inequality during the summer months and the school year. American
Sociological Review, 69, 613-635.
Duffett, A., Johnson, J., Farkas, S., King, S., & Ott, A. (2004). All work and no play: Listening to what kids and parents really want from out-of-school time. Education Building, Suite 307
Washington, DC: Public Agenda.
2800 N. Charles Street
Entwisle, D., and Alexander, K. (1992). Summer setback: Race, poverty, school composition, and mathematics achievement in the first two years of school.
American Sociological Review, 57, 72-84. Baltimore, MD 21218
von Hippel, P.T., Powell, B., Downey, D.B., & Rowland, N. (2007) “The effect of school on overweight in childhood: Gains in children’s body mass index during the phone: 410-516-6228 fax: 410-516-6222
school year and during summer vacation.” American Journal of Public Health, 97(4), 796-802.
White,W. (1906). Reviews before and after vacation. American Education, 185-188. www.summerlearning.org